Ben Affleck says Justice League will be about hope and forming a team - as evidenced by his version of Batman standing alongside two of the League's members in a new photo. In the brief turnaround between Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice's theatrical debut and the start of production on Justice League, changes were made. These changes were a result of the criticisms that BvS received, with director Zack Snyder and the executives at Warner Bros. and DC Films looking to brighten the tone in the team-up. The tonal shift has been apparent from very early on, when set visit reports dropped shortly into filming, and has been replicated in the film's marketing so far.
Throughout the marketing for Justice League, Affleck's Bruce Wayne aka Batman and Gal Gadot's Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman have been the primary stars, with Gadot receiving an even more prominent position post-Wonder Woman. Her solo film was all about the hope for humanity (or even the lack there of), but both she and Bruce have a renewed sense of it following Superman's sacrifice.
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This hopeful approach has continued to be part of Justice League's promotion, and some new quotes from Affleck continue that trend. In a new article from People, Affleck describes the premise of the film and what it will be about at its core. Plus, part of this hopeful approach that leads to a team can be seen working effectively in another new image (see below):
This is a step in evolution to bring together all of these characters who have had their origins. It’s about multilateralism, and it’s about hope and about working together and the kind of conflicts of trying to work together with others. Part of the drama of the movie is the question of whether or not the team is going to come together. It’s very different from the tenor of the last movie and there’s also more room for humor.
With Snyder setting the tonal change that Affleck is referring to into motion, it looked as though he had a handle on it. Obviously, Snyder has since stepped away from the project for unforeseeable and heart-breaking reasons, but Joss Whedon should have little trouble maintaining a hopeful tone in his reshoots. What is unknown is just how much different the final product will be with Whedon taking over, and it could be big considering he is now credited as a co-writer.
That said, the behind-the-scenes workings will hopefully not be on the forefront of everyone's mind once the film is releases. Instead, seeing an image like this with three iconic DC characters standing side by side play out on the big screen should be enticing enough. Plus, this image does not even include Aquaman (Jason Momoa) - who looks like the breakout star of the film - or Cyborg (Ray Fisher) or even Superman (Henry Cavill). If the film organically forms the Justice League, has Snyder's great action, and more of Whedon's character interactions, there will be plenty of reasons to hope that Justice League delivers.
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Source: People
